Oil well drilling apparatus having crown block movable lengthwise of mast



June 7, 1949. H. J. V VOOLSLAYE R El AL 2,472,359

OIL WELL DRILLING APPARATUS HAVING CROWN BLOCK MOVABLE LENGTHWISE OFMAST 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 20, 1948 fig! June 1949- H. J.WOOLSLAYER El AL 2,472,359

OIL WELL DRILLING APPARATUS HAVING CROWN BLOCK MOVABLE LENGTHWISE 0FMAST Filed April 20, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 QM .h a.

I 1 HI. m. .i \l IIHIIIIIIII. a fl Iv mvi FL O Q Q W o 7 i K N\ N N NPatented June 7, 1949 OIL WELL DRILLING APPARATUS HAVING CROWN BLOCKMOVABLE LENGTHWISE F MAST Homer J. Woolslayer, Cecil Jenkins, andWilliam H. Luttgen, Tulsa, Okla, assignors to Lee C. Moore Corporation,Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 20,1948, Serial No. 22,204

This invention relates to oil well drillingap- :paratus, and moreparticularly to such apparatus having a mast that can be swung down tothe ground for dismantling and transportation from one location toanother. In our copending patent application, Serial Number 20,994,filed April 14, 1948, we have shown an oil well derrick substructureprovided with a bay having ramps in it up which a truck trailer can bebacked and then firmly fastened to the substructure. The trailer carriesthe drawworks, and also is equipped to carry the travelving block andcrown block from one well to another. It is among the objects of thisinvention to pro- 8 Claims. (Cl; 189-21) vide oil well drillingapparatus of the type shown in said copending application in which thecrown block canbe disconnected from the outer end of the lowered mastand moved through the mast to the substructure and onto the trailer, andin which the construction of the mast permits the traveling block andcrown block to be carried away by the trailer without unstringing theblocks.

In accordance with this invention a mast, having an open side and aclosed side, is mounted on -a substructure with which a power drum isassociated. Preferably, the drum is mounted on a vehicle that can bemoved into a bay in the substructure. The lower end of one side of themast is hinged to the substructure to permit the mast "to be swung downto a position along the ground so that it can be" separated intosections and moved to another location. A crown block is detachablymounted in the top of the mast, and a traveling block is suspended fromit by a line that has one end attached to the power drum. Inside themast adjacent its closed side is a track that extends from the top ofthe mast to a point near its bottom. When the mast is in its lowerposition on the ground the crown block can be of the mast; Fig. 3 is avertical section taken on :the line III-III of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sideview with the substructure in section, showing the mast extending alongthe ground and the traveling and crown blocks removed from the mast; andFig. 5

is a vertical section of the prone mast taken on the line VV of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, the same substructure l is shown as isdisclosed in the abovementioned patent application. This substructure isformed from structural steel members and is provided with ramps 2 upwhich a truck trailer 3 has been hacked and then leveled by means ofjacks 4. The trailer carries the drawworks, which include the usualwinding drum 6 driven by engines '1. Projecting beyond the rear end ofthe main frame of the trailer are a pair of horizontal beams 8 that reston a. cross beam 9 in the substructure.

of it on the substructure. The lower ends of the rear legs l3 of themast are pivotally and detachably mounted in the same shoes l4 thatsupport the front of the gin pole. The lower portions [6 of the mastsfront legs are hinged to their upper portions 11 and are detachablyconnected to shoes l8 near the front of the substructure. The front sideof the mast is open for most of its height so that pipe can be swung inand out of it, but the back side is closed by horizontal girts l9 anddiagonal braces 2|. A line 22 is connected to the drawworks drum 6 andextends up inside the mast to a crown block 23 and then down to supportthe traveling block 24 in the usual way.

The crown block 23 includes sheaves 26 rotatably mounted on a shaft 21,the ends of which are mounted in parallel side plates 28. The rear edgesof these plates are connected by a cross plate 29 that projects beyondthem to form flanges 30. Connecting the side plates above shaft 21 is anupwardly extending suspension member 3! that has a horizontal opening-32 through it parallel to the side plates. Extending through thisopening is a heavy pin 33, the ends of which extend through openings inthe lower ends of a pair of parallel supporting members 34 and 35 whichhave their upper portions secured to'the front and back of a cross beam36 mounted on top of the mast above its front legs.

When it is desired to move this apparatus to another location, thetraveling block 24 is connected to the loop of a sling 4i that extendsdown in the mast and around under sheaves 42 to the top of the gin polewhere the ends of the sling are anchored. The lower portions E6 'of themasts front legs are disconnected fromshoes l8 and swung back out of theway, and then the A gin pole ll straddles the drawworks, and a mast I2is mounted in front end of the mast to the substructure.

ward the substructure and out of the lower or rear end of the pronemast. The traveling block is pulled up onto the substructure andpreferably up against the drawworks to which it is lashed. The pin 33then is removed from the crown block to disconnect itfrom the upper orouter end of the mast, but the crown block will not drop because itsflanges are supported by parallel rails 43 forming a track inside themast near its closed rear or upper side and extending from the outerpreferably are formed from angle bars secured to girts l9, which arequite wide. These angle bars have flanges spaced from the girts andprojecting toward each other to slidably support the crown blockflanges. reel in line 22, the crown block can be pulled along the tracktoward the substructure by the shortening loops connecting the crownblock to the stationary traveling block. A temporary ramp 44 may bemounted in the recess in the front of the 3 substructure to support thecrown block when it leaves the track and to guide it up to a temporaryplatform 45 laid on the trailer beams 8. In this manner both thetraveling block and the crown block are brought to the trailer whileremaining strung together and connected by line 22 to the drawworks. Themast then can be disconnected from shoes l4 and separated into sectionsfor transportation, and the two blocks can be carried by the trailer outof the substructure to the new location.

In reversing the procedure Just outlined, so that the mast can beerected, an auxiliary line may be connected to the crown block at thesubstructure and to a winch or truck at the outer end of the prone mastfor pulling the crown block away from the substructure and along thetrack to its operating position while line 22 unwinds from the drum. Thecrown block is fastened in place by inserting pin 33 in suspensionmember 3| and supporting members 34 and 35. The traveling block then isreleased from the substructure, and the drum is reversed to pull theblock out into the mast to the point where it can be attached to thesling. Further winding of the line on the drum will cause the sling toswing the mast up to operating position, where the lower ends of frontlegs l6 can be attached to shoes l8 to support the mast when the slingis so stood that, within the scope of the appended The rails 20 Byreversing the drum to 25 4 claims, the invention may be practicedotherwis than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim: 1. Oil well drilling apparatus comprising a sub- 5 structure,a power drum associated therewith, a

mast mounted on the substructure and having an open side and a closedside, the lower end of one of said sides being hinged to thesubstructure to permit the mast to be swung down to a position along theground, a crown block detachably mounted in the top of the mast, atraveling block in the mast, a line suspending the traveling block fromthe crown block and having one end attached to the drum for raising andlowering the traveling block, and a track inside the mast adjacent saidclosed side and extending from the top of the mast to a point near itsbottom, the crown block being slidably supported by said track when themast is in its lower position with the crown block disconnected from thetop of the mast, whereby the crown block can be moved along the tracktoward the opposite end of the mast and onto the substructure.

2. Oil well drilling apparatus comprising a substructure, a power drumassociated therewith, a mast mounted on the substructure and having anopen side and a closed side, the lower end of one of said sides beinghinged to the substructure to permit the mast to be swung down to aposition along the ground with its open side down, a crown blockdetachably mounted in the top of the mast, a traveling block in themast, a line suspending the traveling block from the crown block andhaving one end attached to the drum for raising and lowering thetraveling block, and a track inside the mast adjacent said closed sideand extending from the top of the mast to a point near its bottom, thecrown block being slidably suspended from said track when the mast is inits lower position with the crown block disconnected from the top of themast, whereby the crown block can be moved along the track toward theopposite end of the mast.

3. Oil well drilling apparatus comprising a substructure, a power drumassociated therewith, a mast mounted on the substructure and having anopen side and a closed side, the lower end of one of said sides beinghinged to the substructure to permit the mast to be swung down to aposition along the ground with its open side down, a crown blockdetachably mounted in the top of the mast, a traveling block in themast, a line suspending the traveling block from the crown block andhaving one end attached to the drum for raising and lowering thetraveling block, and a pair of parallel angle bars inside the mastconnected to its closed side and extending from the top of the mast to apoint near its bottom, said bars having flanges spaced fromsaid closedside and projecting toward each other, the crown block having lateralprojections slidably mounted on said flanges when the mast is in itslower position with the crown block disconnected from the top of themast and hanging down between said bars, whereby the crown block can bemoved along the bars toward the opposite end of the mast.

4. Oil well drilling apparatus comprising a substructure, a power drumassociated therewith, a mast mounted on the substructure and having 0 anopen side and a closed side, the lower end of the closed side beinghinged to the substructure to permit the mast to be swung down to aposition along the ground with its open side down, a crown blockdetachably mounted in the top of the mast, a traveling block in themast, a line suspending from said track when the mast is in its lowerposition with the crown block disconnected from the top of the mast,whereby the crown block can be moved along the track toward the oppositeend of the mast, and a ramp removably mounted in the substructure forreceiving the crown block from the mast as its slides therefrom and forguiding it to the top of the substructure.

5. Oil well drilling apparatus comprising a substructure provided with abay extending inward from one end, a vehicle disposed in said bay,drawworks mounted on the vehicle, a mast mounted on the substructure andhaving an open side and a closed side, the lower end of one of saidsides being hinged to the substructure to permit the mast to be swungdown to a position along the ground, a crown block detachably mounted inthe top of the mast, a traveling block in the mast, a line suspendingthe traveling block from the crown block and having one end attached tothe drawworks for raising and lowering the traveling block, and a trackinside the mast adjacent said closed side and extending from the top ofthe mast to a point near its bottom, the crown block being slidablysupported by said track when the mast is in its lower position with thecrown block disconnected from the top of the mast, whereby the crownblock can be moved along the track toward the opposite end of the mastand onto the substructure and vehicle.

6. Oil well drilling apparatus comprising a substructure provided with abag extending inward from one end, a vehicle disposed in said bay,drawworks mounted on the vehicle, a mast mounted on the substructure andhaving an open side and a closed side, the lower end of the closed sidebeing hinged to th substructure to permit the mast to be swung down to aposition along the ground with its open side down, a crown blockdetachably mounted in the top of the mast, a traveling block in themast, a line suspending the traveling block from the crown block andhaving one end attached to the drawworks for raising and lowering thetraveling block, a track inside the mast adjacent said closed side andextending from the top of the mast to a point near its bottom, the crownblock being slidably suspended from said track when the mast is in itslower position with the crown block disconnected from the top of themast, whereby the crown block can be moved along the track toward theopposite end of the mast, and a ramp removably mounted in thesub-structure for receiving the crown block from the mast as it slidestherefrom and for guiding it to the top of said vehicle.

7. Oil well drilling apparatus comprising a substructure provided with abay extending inward from its rear end and having a recess in its frontend, a vehicle disposed in said bay, drawworks mounted on the vehicle, amast mounted on the substructure and having an open front side and aclosed rear side, means detachably hinging the lower end of said rearside to the substructure to permit the mast to be swung forward and downinto said recess so that the mast will extend alon the ground in frontof the substructure, a crown block detachably mounted in the top of themast, a traveling block in the mast, a line suspending the travelingblock from the crown block and having one end attached to the drawworksfor raising and lowering the traveling block, and a track inside themast adjacent said closed side and extending from the top of the mast toa point near its bottom, the crown block being slidably suspended fromsaid track when the mast is in its lower position with the crown blockdisconnected from the top of the mast, whereby the crown block can bemoved along the track toward the opposite end of the mast and onto thesubstructure and vehicle.

8. Oil well drilling apparatus comprising a substructure, a power drumassociated therewith, a mast mounted on the substructure and having anopen side and a closed side, the lower end of one of said sides beinghinged to the substructure to permit the mast to be swung down to aposition along the ground, a crown block provided with an upwardlyprojecting suspension member having a transverse opening through it, apin extending through said opening, supporting members secured to thetop of the mast and having openings in their lower ends receiving theends of said pin, said pin being removable to disconnect the crown blockfrom said supporting members, a traveling block in the mast, a linesuspending the traveling block from the crown block and having one endattached to the drum for raising and lowering the traveling block, and atrack inside the mast adjacent said closed side and extending from thetop of the mast to a point near its bottom, the crown block beingslidably supported by said track when the mast is in its lower positionwith said pin removed from said suspension member, whereby the crownblock can be moved along the track toward the opposite end of the mastand onto the substructure.

HOMER J. WOOLSLAYER.

CECIL JENKINS.

WILLIAM H. LU'IIGEN.

No references cited.

Certificate of Correction Patent N 0. 2,472,359.

Column 1, line 7, for the serial number 20,994, read 20,944; claim 4,for the word its read it; line 38, claim 6, f0 and that the said LettersPatent should be read with these corrections therein that the same mayconform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 1st day of November, A D 1949.

column 5, line 13, r bag read bay;

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Oommzssz'oner of Patents.

